Missouri Governor Commutes Life Sentence Of Man Serving Time For Marijuana

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) on Friday commuted the life sentence of a 61-year-old man who has been jailed two decades for marijuana offenses.

The governor's action makes Jeff Mizanskey eligible for parole -- an option he didn't have under the terms of his life sentence. Mizanskey was sentenced as a "prior and persistent drug offender" under Missouri's three strikes law, which was repealed last year.

"Gov. Nixon has stepped up to the plate in granting Jeff his freedom," said Tony Papa, media relations manager for Drug Policy Alliance who himself was sent to prison for a first-time drug offense. "All too often, governors have nixed the idea of using their clemency powers. But in this case, Nixon has righted a horrible wrong that was made in Jeff's case -- the life sentencing of a man for non-violent drug offenses."

David Owen, communications director for the Missouri Department of Corrections, told The Huffington Post that a parole hearing date for Mizanskey would be "set sometime this summer."

Also on HuffPost:

27 Reasons Why U.S. Shouldn't Lead War On Drugs

27 Reasons Why U.S. Shouldn't Lead War On Drugs

1

of

27

Because Most Americans Are Unenthusiastic About It

Only 7 percent of Americans think the United States is winning the war on drugs, and few Americans are interested in throwing down more money to try to win, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released in 2012.